Aloe striata Haw.
Coral aloe
Aloe is from the Greek word for the dried juice of this plant; striata refers to the many fine lines that appear on the leaves. This aloe is native to the western and eastern cape provinces of South Africa, and is not found in the wild in North America.
Plants: This perennial succulent aloe is up to 1½′ (45 cm) tall and 2′ (60 cm) around. It is stemless or short-stemmed. Plants may be solitary, or spread via offsets up to about 3′ (1 m) around.
Leaves: Leaves are in rosettes, and blue- or silvery-green in color, with dark green stripes and red-brown teeth. They are wider at the base, more triangular in shape, than many aloe leaves. They are up to 1½′ (50 cm) long and 8″ (20 cm) wide, and fleshy. Margins are spineless, and pale pink to red in color.
Flowers: Flowers appear atop a long, multiply branched stalk, and are a very attractive coral color, between orange and pink, on a raceme 8–12″ (20–30 cm) in height. They form rosettes of 1-3 racemes. Blooms appear between January and July.
Fruits: Dehiscent capsules.
Habitats: Found in large colonies on stony soils in rocky hillsides in arid areas near the coast and the drier inland karoo areas.
Online References:
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 10 × 15″ (26 × 39 cm) 
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm) 
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 12 × 17″ (29 × 44 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Xanthorrhoeaceae | Aloes, many tropical plants, flax lilies, daylilies, many others |
| Genus | Aloe | Means “goddess” in ancient Sanskrit, for its reputed use as a beauty aid; some sources suggest that the name comes from Alloeh, meaning “shining bitter substance” |
| Species | striata | Refers to striations—conspicuous longitudinal lines—on the leaf surfaces |
Aloe striata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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